Changing Strategy for Changing Times

In my former life as a creative director, my role was to inspire my teams, push them to generate more unique ideas, continually refresh their perspective and generally never imitate their previous successes. In that role, I constantly studied how the creative process works, the triggers that moved people beyond ordinary to truly exceptional ideas. It was both fascinating and fun.

This year started off with a bang. January is usually an indicator for the rest of the year. I was extremely optimistic. Then came the flood of executive disorders destroying our vision of democracy. I was angry, uninspired, unmotivated and generally out of good ideas. This never happens to me.

Nearly two months of projects started and left unfinished was enough. I shared my frustration with my studio neighbor Dianne Jean Erickson. She is incredibly creative and always inspiring. Dianne offered several books for visual stimulation. It helped

I keep a stack of small abstract watercolor and acrylic studies tucked away. Last week, I cleared about 8’ of wall space, tacked a 3’x3’ sheet of paper to the wall and started painting. Five days and four paintings later, I am out of my rut. It feels great to push a large brush around and be consumed by the evolving image. I haven’t abandoned masks or sculptures. There are still several of those in the works. But, this creative diversion will alter how I view 3-dimensional work in the future.

I titled this one “When I Saw the Wolf”. After an hour of exploring shapes and values, I saw the profile of a wolf. Once seen, I couldn’t ignore it. From there, it was a process of making it not too obvious, but still ominous. See the video evolution from first marks to finished painting.

"Unspoken" chosen for Gallery Without Walls, Lake Oswego, Oregon

For the past year, “Unspoken” has been on exhibit in Lafayette, Colorado as part of their Art on the Streets program. I will retrieve the sculpture in April and bring it back to Oregon.

In July, it will become part of the Gallery Without Walls program in Lake Oswego. It will be mounted on the southeast side of 1st and Avenue A and will remain there through 2027. I am delighted to be participating in this excellent program which includes a number of sculptors whose work I admire. I am also flattered with the prime location the committee chose for my piece.

The video below shows the evolution of the concept from sketches through the 18” maquette titled Mind Meld, to the final 6’ steel, foam and fiberglass sculpture. When I created the original piece, I had not intended to enlarge it. For years, I had considered scaling one of my pieces. Encouragement came frequently from former employer, Marty Eichinger who, from our very first meeting, insisted I work bigger. When a pile of high density urethane foam scraps were offered to me, it was time to go large.

I am still holding enough foam to create another large piece. Many of my small sculptures will scale to a larger format.

I think, therefore I create possibilities.

“The Stone of Spiritual Understanding” Imagination has no boundaries.

Visualization to realization is a process of imagining something in such exquisite detail, it manifests in reality. If you can perceive something in your mind with such clarity, it awakens you to experiences and aids in decisions that bring that vision to life.

Attention and intention create experience. Some will say this is bunk. I suggest they have not fully invested in the visualization phase. They have not been patient enough for that reality to materialize, or they are too deeply embedded in assumptions to recognize the options that appear.

In Deviate - The Science of Seeing Differently author and neuroscientist Beau Lotto poses a simple question: Do humans see reality? We don't. Everything we know is constructed by memory, assumptions and expectations. Only 15% of what we see comes through our sense of sight. The other 85% is fabricated by our brain. Our thoughts are our limitations. We cannot comprehend infinity.

In physics/philosophy, the concept of a multiverse or a many worlds interpretation of reality allows for infinite possibilities. Everything, everywhere, all at once. We are only able to experience one reality at a time. That reality is where our knowledge, assumptions and comfort zone converge. According to Lotto, if we change our brains we can release ourselves from the past. We unleash creativity and an entirely new realm of possibilities. We can realize anything we can visualize because all of those possibilities exist in the multiverse. (Here’s Why We Might Live in a Multiverse – Scientific American 3/6/2024)

The multiverse is an endless unfolding of universes. Together, they comprise everything that could exist: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. This concept has been considered as far back as the ancient Greek philosophers. It has evolved and has been debated in various fields, including science fiction, cosmology, physics, and philosophy. Some argue that it is a philosophical concept rather than a scientific hypothesis, as it cannot be empirically falsified.

I have lived my entire life believing there are far more possibilities that we perceive. It helps explain some of the mysteries of ancient civilizations. They were able to visualize and experience other realities. the art they left behind is enough to convince me of that. There is substantial thought by minds much more qualified than mine to substantiate this idea. Creativity is undervalued whenever we rate an idea as impossible. For every vision imagined, its reality is out there.

Wearable Art: Masks on Shirts

Several of my favorite masks are available on black or white soft cotton tee shirts both short and long sleeve. When you want to start a conversation, wear one of these. Guaranteed to get a reaction from your friends.

See the list of options.

Diego Velazquez as sculptor of space.

"Las Meninas” 1656 by Diego Velazquez. 125.2”× 108.7”

One of many high points from a recent trip to Spain was a day at Museo del Prado. My long-time goal was to see paintings by Velazquez in person. As a court painter for the King of Spain, most of his paintings remain in Madrid.

Velazquez is one of the best painters of all time. In his later works he demonstrated a mastery of not just depth but of a three-dimensional experience on a two-dimensional surface. He is sculpting on canvas, drawing your attention into, around and through the space with masterful composition. “Las Meninas” is more than a scene of the life of Spanish Royals. As you view the painting, you are standing in the same position as the King and Queen, the subject of the painting. He is painting you as you watch and everyone in the painting is aware of your presence. The one subtle hint that explains this spacial masterpiece is the reflection of the King and Queen in a small mirror at the center of the painting.

Many great painters have managed space and depth successfully. I am unaware of any other painting that has turned the viewer into the subject of the painting. In doing this, Velazquez has made not only the painting, but the act of viewing the painting a 3-dimensional experience equal to experiences created by sculptors.

Dreams of Elders

Relatives long gone come back from time to time through dreams. It has always been a good experience. It usually makes me wonder what triggered that visitation. Was there a message? A warning? Or, more likely with my family, a joke?

This mask was full of challenges. I had never rendered fabric before. Nor had I ever tried to position multiple, fully-rendered figures on top of a mask. But, what fun is a project without problems to solve. The larger challenge with this one was how to paint it. I’m not sure this photo is fully accurate. The mask has a glow just below the figures.

Mixed media: 21" x 13" x 5".

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A Fish Called Wander

I have been thinking about prehistoric fish for a long time. I created the head for this piece months ago. A recent trip to the Seattle Art Museum to see a collection of Alexander Calder mobiles was the trigger to complete this. I didn’t know if it would swim until I suspended it. A slight breeze will keep it in motion. Now I’m debating whether to add two more fish or let this one swim alone.

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Deja Vu: The Persistence of Possibilities

Time is an illusion. There is no past, no future. There is an infinite “now”. The “Many Worlds” theory of quantum physics acknowledges that all possibilities exist at once. Through normal consciousness, we perceive one sequential path of possibilities. When our awareness encounters one of these infinite other worlds, it feels familiar because it is another version of what we are experiencing. .

That might explain what we experience as déjà vu. Literally translated from French, it means “already seen.” It describes an illusion, a memory of a scene or event that you are experiencing for the first time.

This sculpture suggests many things: a dance, a relationship, lovers, twins, opposites, etc. I began this piece with the concept of multiple variations of the personality encountering each other. The term of déjà vu quickly came to mind. When we see our thoughts reflected we are seeing through a portal in reality. I believe our ability to comprehend the complexity of consciousness is a result of how little we actually know about nature.

One surprise I encountered after shooting this video was that both figures, while rotating around each other also appear to be rotating on their own axis. It’s an illusion.

Evolution of an idea

A recent trip to Mexico was a visual tsunami. I was fascinated by a group of Frigate birds that soared above the beach every day. Their ability to glide with no apparent effort amazed me. Of course, sketches followed. My attention was also drawn to of the more primal imagery of the local artists and craftspeople. At some point, all of the imagery I was ingesting started to merge into a single image. This series shows the progression from inspiration to a finished mask. “Focus” measures 28” x 30” x 11”

Creative Continuity - Inspiration from the past

I make a point of not repeating myself or duplicating previous works. In fact, if I tried to copy a piece, I would quickly find ways to improve the original. Before long, it would be a unique piece.

A few weeks ago, I pulled “Dream’s Cape” from the shelf. The original piece was created in 2019. I always felt it didn’t go far enough. I started sketching alternatives. Within a few minutes another character emerged. While the underlying concept has similarities, the end result is a very different piece with a very different feel.

“Shaman” also required a few new techniques. I visualized a gold leaf interior. However, in construction, that was overpowering. A few glazes of Alizarin Crimson turned the gold to a more copper feel. It kept the richness but subdued the high reflection of the gold.

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